CrIMSS CHART: Monthly Gridded Atmospheric Profiles from Suomi NPP

Suomi NPP satellite's CrIS/ATMS instruments, with 1305 infrared and 22 microwave channels, provide the raw data for this monthly gridded atmospheric state product. The Climate Heritage AIRS Retrieval Technique (CHART) algorithm, which uses a neural network initial guess and methodologies from AIRS Version-6.6, derives profiles of temperature, water vapor, ozone, cloud properties, and surface parameters. Final data is a Level 3 monthly average on a one-degree latitude by one-degree longitude grid.

Use Cases

• Validating climate model outputs against observed atmospheric temperature and water vapor profiles.
• Monitoring trends in outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and cloud top properties for climate feedback studies.
• Assimilating gridded surface skin temperature and emissivity data into weather forecasting models.
• Analyzing spatial patterns of total precipitable water and infrared-based precipitation estimates.
• Studying tropospheric ozone distribution and its correlation with other atmospheric parameters.

Strengths

• Derived from a sophisticated, heritage algorithm (CHART) that builds on the extensively validated AIRS Version-6.6 methodology.
• Provides a unified set of over 20 geophysical parameters, from surface to upper atmosphere, from a single source.
• Data is gridded at a consistent one-degree spatial resolution with comprehensive quality control applied.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: specific column names, row counts, and exact data volume are unknown.
• Update dates conflict between sources (2015 vs. 2026), casting doubt on the dataset's maintenance and current status.
• The license is listed only as 'other-license-specified', requiring users to seek clarification before use.

Provenance

Source

GES_DISC, utilizing the Suomi NPP satellite's CrIMSS (CrIS/ATMS) instrument suite.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data processed through the CHART retrieval algorithm to create Level 2 and averaged Level 3 products.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-04-09 20:30:05.184728

Geography

Global, gridded to one-degree latitude by one-degree longitude cells.